The right time
by TheMidnightMoonChild
Summary: The years had flew by, but when Leon is asked to help save a old friend everything changes.
1. 1

**Claire **

She groaned at the sun.

Claire usually didn't mind a little sun on her skin, but now as her head was starting to pound so hard, all she wanted to do was to shut the drapes. But she couldn't move, it was as if a freaking giant weight was pressing her body, crushing and pushing her further into the soft bed. She couldn't even open her eyes, heck, She couldn't even do anything with the aching feeling between her thighs.

What is wrong with me? No, what the hell did I do?

The sudden urge to throw up was there, but she didn't have any strength in her body, not to mention how annoying this snake on her waist felt. Well, it did feel like a snake; it was long, heavy and warm. But it also felt strong and...wait, snakes don't have fingers?

Alarmed by the feeling of warm fingers dancing along her stomach, She slowly gathered her strength and opened her eyes.

The sun blinded her. Shocked with the sudden light that she jerked away and fell off the bed, hard. Claire groaned at her clumsiness and shut her eyes as tight as possible. Fuck. This headache was killing her. As she tried to fight the pain away, there was some shuffling on the bed and a weird noise that kind of sounded like an amused laugh.

A guy's amused laugh.

Her eyes snapped open before she tried to focus her surroundings. The walls were a light blue, there was a few pictures she didn't recognize. Holy shit. This. Was. Not. Her. Room.

The air condition felt freezing on her body, and then she wondered; why? That was when Claire checked herself and found that she wasn't wearing any clothes. At all. Not even underwear. At this moment, she panicked. The panic easily changed her dizziness, and she was aware how naked she was...and how she heard the same guy's voice. But this time, he was clearing his throat.

Claire cursed silently. No wonder she was aching between her thighs. Then her eyes widened at the realization of what might have happened last night...god no.

She snatched the soft blanket that was hanging from the bed and carefully wrapped it around herself.

Piers...

She nervously stood up and braved herself to finally take a glance at the man who seemed to be the one she was searching for.

Claire inhaled sharply as her eyes landed on his glory nakedness his manhood was glory. She blushed slightly before checking his face, who was looking up at her with a smirk. The moment his hazel eyes came in the view, She froze.

She didn't know what else to do, so she found herself just standing there, trying her best to avert her eyes not to look down at his…you-know-what. She was so dumbfounded. Claire knew she had ruined it.

She felt her mouth opening, but no sound, the sight of him made her brain stop working, so instead of finding a normal thing to say, She found herself sighing deeply with adoration in my eyes.…wow.

His low chuckle sent shivers down her spine. Goodness, Claire forgot she had a crush on this guy.

On second thought, she didn't actually mind that she slept with him—she was kind of flattered, to be honest—but sleeping with him was going to change everything. They had exchanged a few emails at first, they then went few dates, talked about work, friends, family, lifers. Shared hopes and dreams but Claire wanted to take it slow, not ruin it by rushing things...but now... She was home alone the night before, Piers had been out with a few of his buddy's watching a football game and asked if she wanted to come join him for a drink after. BIG MISTAKE.

She opened her eyes before they landed on his, finding them blaring with desire. This was not good, not good at all. She gulped nervously. "W-why did we do this?"

He frowned. "What do you mean? You didn't like it?" He asked almost sounding disappointed.

Her eyes met his gaze.

"Well...um... I did, but wish I hadn't happened so soon".

He looked at her with a sheepish smile. " I actually really like you Claire, I don't regret it. Unless you do?"

She gaped at him blushing. "Yes and no... Could you do something about you...uh…?" She pointed towards his lower waist giggling.

Before she knew it, he yanked her on top of his strong chest. Oh, his male anatomy was harder than she remembered. Claire shut her eyes and shoved the naughty thoughts that suddenly appeared in her head out. She placed her hands on his chest, trying to push herself up but failed miserably as her hands slipped down, making Claire fall onto his body while he just kept on grinning at her like a stupid idiot.

"Piers..." She finally breathed out heavily. She wanted to call his name and tell him to stop holding her, but it came out wrong and husky that she felt him wrap his arms tighter around her.

He groaned and kissed her shoulder. "Claire..."

Damn it! And here she thought a solider who looked up to her brother wouldn't ever go near her cause of some kind of honorary code.

Okay, that was stupid. But hey, she was older than him, and Chris's colleagues never took notice of her because Chris never let them.

And now she was in the arms of Piers, who wanted her, who wanted to scream her name and who's long member was getting hard on her thigh. How ironic.

She struggled and wiggled from his grasp before he flipped her, crushing his weight on her.

"God, you're heavy," She said giggling.

"Babe, you didn't mind it last night." He gave her a mischievous smile.

She glared at him. He ignored her and started to kiss the crook of her neck, as Claire shut her eyes again.

A shingling feeling of pleasure shot right through her as he thrust his hips slightly toward one of hers. She found herself getting out of breath as one of his hands cupped her breast slowly. This shouldn't be happening. She bit her lip at the feeling of his touch on her body. No, don't respond. No...

"We...we...should..." It came out breathlessly as his hand played with her breast. Somehow the blanket that was wrapped around her body was now all wrinkled up, exposing her upper body. Piers took her right nipple in his mouth and glided his tongue there, making a pattern that made her feel all giddy with excitement. She moaned quietly, which made him smirk.

"Why? Don't you think this is fun?"

"Piers—holy shit." She moaned louder than his hand slipped up her inner thigh. Claire could feel his fingers massaging her slowly, torturing her with his skilled fingers as he slipped inside her, and then out, and then in again while his thumb teased her even more.: where the hell did the blanket go? She stopped caring, she was anticipating what was going to happen next.

He began to kiss her lips, and she found herself kissing him back. This was so, so wrong. She was about to have sex with him...again. But then again the damage was already done. They couldn't go back to just flirty dating anyway. What harm could one more time do, anyway?


	2. 2

**Piers **

Piers Nivans was completely entranced by the beautiful woman sleeping next to him. His strong arms were wrapped around her, pulling Claire's nude body against him. She was cuddling deep into his chest, Piers could feel her sleeping form's gently breathing against his shoulder.

Every part of the redheads glorious body was exposed to the soldier. This girl, his girl, was truly the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. He had heard stories about her, one of the few survivors of raccoon city. Chris had told him about his baby sister how she was fierce, strong, and loyal. He was surprised at her beauty when he seen her for the first time, he was expecting Chris in a skirt.

His fingertips brushed down the column of Claire's slender neck, he had given her his dog tags one night, and Claire wore it with pride whenever he was home. The shiny metal ends were currently nestled in her plentiful cleavage. He chuckled thinking that they looked better on her than they ever did on him.

Piers smirked as he studied Claire, she was only pretending to sleep now.

His fingers continued to wander. Traveling down her smooth flat belly, gently caressing her slender hip, stroking her legs. His rough calloused hands sweetly cupped her warm full breasts, that was covered in violet hickeys.

"Mmmh." He heard her moan, happily. Her blue eyes slowly fluttered open, staring up into his lovingly. Claire smiled at her boyfriend. Piers stroked her long red hair, the strands sliding through his fingers like silk.

"Morning baby." He smiled, kissing the top of her head. His arms wrapped around her even tighter. Piers Nivans was a man that had previously preferred one-night-stands to relationships, never wanting to settle down because of his line of work. It was like every time before he had been having sex the wrong way ,fucking whoever came his way, but now? Everything was different.

"Morning. Did you sleep well?"  
She asked kissing him softly on the lips. Her rosy, slightly swollen lips, brushing against his cheek. Slowly her hand ran up and down his chest, stroking the soldier's scars.

Suddenly, Claire's wide blue eyes filled with newly shed tears. Blushing she tried to wipe the salty trails away before her boyfriend could notice.

"Better than ever." Piers chuckled, before worry filled his eyes. He watched the water trails spill down Claire's cheeks slowly, "Are you crying? God, don't cry…please don't cry, baby." It was his worst fear confirmed. The stress of being apart so much had fucked up their relationship. What if she regretted it now? Did she want to break up? A thousand things ran through Piers mind at that moment.

"I'm not crying because I'm sad, I'm crying because I'm happy." Claire laughed happily. She couldn't remember ever being so happy. A smile dangled from her lips when she felt him lean down to kiss the salty droplets free from her cheeks.

She had never felt so complete and whole. It was almost as if this is where she was meant to be, in bed with Piers. If someone had told her that two years ago she was going to be this happy in an almost-normal life, Claire probably would have laughed.

"Still, don't cry. It scares the hell out of me." His voice overflowed with relief and his shoulders letting go of the gathered tension.

"No. No sorry." Claire cuddled in even closer to his muscled body. They just fit so good together. Every curve and concave melded perfectly, no awkwardness.

"Are you sure there's nothing else?" He whispered huskily against her ear. The sun that shone through the window illuminating her freckled skin, highlighting it against the soldier's slightly tanned muscles, the gray sheets wrapped around them loosely hanging off the bed in the warm heat.

"Piers...I'm late". Claire held her breath.

"Sorry, come again? As in..."

"My period is late. I might be pregnant...I'm going to take a test tonight. " Her eyes searched for something in his. Claire was scared, it had been a fast paced relationship between them. She had fallen for him, fast and hard.

"Whatever the outcome is, I'll always be here with you", he smiled, pulling her tiny frame into his lap. Piers pulled Claire tight against him, stealing a kiss from her rosy lips.

"Hmm…always, I don't think the BSAA is willing to let me keep you for that long." Claire giggled against his shoulder, while her hands continued on their journey across her boyfriend's skin, memorizing everything. It would be a few more weeks before he was deployed again, who knew how much longer she'd have him all to herself...the thought scared her almost to the point of a breakdown.

"Who cares about that right now? I'd rather stay here with you and my maybe baby… if the result is negative I'd still like to have a family with you one day". How sweet. "Even if you insist on rubbing your cold feet against my legs all night." His hands slide across her body to tickle her, making Claire laugh against him.

"Sorry, you were warm and I couldn't help myself" she teased, her loose messy hair sliding into her face. With a smirk Piers put a red silky strands behind her ear. He was so gentle with her, it surprised even him.

That night Claire took a pregnancy, she and Piers had their answer.

_• In 2011 Claire Redfield attended a TerraSave party, during which a military group attacked and abducted Claire and her co-workers, taking them to an abandoned prison facility located on Sushestvovanie island and Injecting them with the t-Phobos Virus._

_• In 2012 Piers Nivans was deployed to Edonian where a new B.O.W. species was granted in the midst of a civil war._


	3. 3

_"I'm sorry... Captain... I did it for the BSAA... For the future!"_

**Claire**

The news shattered Claire. Crumbling to the floor and sobbed, not giving a fuck about how pathetic she looked because he was gone. "Piers didn't make it." The four tiny words crushed her, especially since they fell from the mouth of someone she loved. She glanced up at the eyes of her older brother, he looked like a washed-up celebrity dying from years of partying too hard. How would they get though this?

**Chris**

The best thing in Claire's life was gone. Forever. Jesus fuck, he wished it was him. That's all he wanted. Jill and Claire could go on without him. Piers had his own life, his own hobbies, his own friends, and his own family. Chris knew he could die and it wouldn't matter to the BSAA, or anyone else. Except for the two women in his life. Piers was the only one who loved his sister as much as he did, and he knew he would always take good care of his family. How was this fair?

**Six months later **

When Claire returned home it felt empty and it was slightly messy, it had been unchanged since she was admitted again. She pulled one of Piers shirts close to her chest, trying her best to remember the last time she seen him wear it. All Piers items lay untouched, but she knew his parents would want some of his belongings back.

Claire took a deep breath before she glanced around the room, she needed a fresh start. She deserved it, they all did.

**two weeks Later**

Claire finally finished unpacking and decorating her new apartment in a way that made her almost happy. She had put things up around the apartment that belonged to Piers and her both. She wanted those little reminders of him. Claire wanted him to live on in memory, it was as if she was scared in case she forgot him. She liked remembering how happy he had made her.

She sat down on the couch and grabbed the pink notebook off of the coffee table. Claire had always been more confident in expressing her opinions and feelings in her younger days, but recently Claire was struggling to understand her own thoughts. The memory's of Piers, her parents, Raccoon city, being taken multiple times to different islands had taken a toll on her. Claire wondered how much longer she could handle it? She hadn't ever really given much thought to ghosts, never really decided whether she believed in them or not, but now she found herself haunted by them.

The buzzing sound coming from her door startled her. She walked over to look at the screen and it was blank, the camera couldn't be connected to the doorbell right. Just great. Claire presses the small button unlocking the door into the apartments, "Just come on up".

She quickly went into the bedroom, She put the notebook in her sock drawer. Before leaving the room again she checked on Matty, who was snoring loudly causing her to giggle. How something so small make such a loud noise?

Walking into the kitchen area, she turned on the kettle. Since giving up alcohol, Chris has become a tea drinker. She couldn't wait to see him. Claire hated that she missed so much. She spoke to him briefly on the phone the day before where he informed her that she was now an auntie, which was almost impossible since last she heard Jill wasn't pregnant. Back to the wall, she smiled as she heard the door handle turning and her brother entering the apartment.


	4. 4

**Leon**

_It had been two years since raccoon city, and a lot had changed. He was currently being trained to be a government agent, Sherry was still stuck in a facility, there had been more attacks, and Claire had been taken. Rockford Island, Leon had heard how badly it had screwed her up._

_Two days off was all he had. He had been training five hours away from her home town. Leon didn't want to intrude, but needed to know she was okay._

_Surly this wasn't the right place? He was told he'd find Claire here. He thought she would be somewhere quite hiding from everyone, or even at a bar drowning her sorrows, Hell everyone knows Chris does._

_But this wasn't the sort of place he excepted to find her. It was loud, dirty, and smelled of stale beer and piss. The walls were covered in spray paint, the windows all smashed and boarded up._

_On second thought, an underground rock band was the perfect place for her. It was full of rocker chicks and biker gangs._

_Leon ordered a beer, the barman gave him a strange look as he served him. He definitely stood out like a sore thumb, he was the only person not wearing leather and covered in piercings._

_He wiped the bar stool with a tissue before he sat town. 'God knows what's this is covered in' he said inwardly._

_The band started, girls screamed, as the men chanted. A couple of hours had past, and he still couldn't see her, looking at his watch Leon knew he was running out of time and had to leave to hear back._

_That was when he saw her._

_She was wearing nothing apart from a light blue vest top, a short denim skirt, and thick back boots that stopped off at her calf. Her hair had grown, it was down and loose, almost touching her bum. He just stared at her. She was laughing and smiling with friends, until she turned around and spotted him._

_"L-L-Leon?... oh my god! Leon it is you!" She ran over to him, flinging arms around him. Almost taken a back it first he hesitated, before hugging her back._

_"What are you doing here?" She asked as she pulled away. Leon looked around as the loud noise she made caused others to stare._

_Claire's noticed as well, "Come on, you can tell me everything after" taken him by the hand and leading him outside._

_Everything? How could he tell her everything? He didn't want to upset her by mentioning Sherry, he was sure Chris told Claire Sherry was just fine._

_The chill from outside hit him like a slap in the face. They stopped walking and sat down on a damp bench, He turned to face her._

_Claire was smiling at him like a giddy school girl, her eyes shinning so bright he could have sworn the sun was behind them._

_"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Are you?" Least he was being honest._

_"I'm much better now, how? What? I just can't believe you are here, I wish you told me you were coming"._

_Leon smiled at her, "it was a last minute decision.. It took me a while to find you red, maybe next time I should try to blend in more"._

_"I can picture you wearing a leather jacket actually, I think it would suit you, give you more of a bad boy look" she laughed._

_He sighed looking down at his watch, "I'm really sorry but I need to go", Claire stood up with him still holding his hand. She left bad, she looked so sad. And cold._

_"Here", he took of his jacket and placed it over her shoulders, "anytime you need anything, ever, just give me shout red"._

_"Ditto"._

_He waited in his car until he knew for sure she had got back with her friends safely, he even phoned her to make sure she got home safe that night... Leon planned on talking to her soon again, but their life's got out of control again. _

_

"You want another round handsome?"

He glanced at the naked women lying across his bed. She was blonde, big boobed, and... that was it.

"Sure", he finished his drink and walked back to her. Truthfully he didn't like her, he didn't even care about her, Leon could hardly even remember her name... just like every other women he brought back to his hotel room.

He watched as the girl pushed her own fingers in and out of herself while saying his name. He was almost uninterested, but he had needs. Needs fulfilled by cheap one night stands. The nights were all the same. He would pick them up in a bar, have sex, he'd drink some more, maybe have sex again, then would come the awkward conversation where he would have to ask them to leave. Usually resulting in them screaming and shouting at him.

Leon had two rules, no kissing on the lips, and never letting them spend the night.

Just before Leon was about to pound the blonde girl again, he was interrupted by his phone ringing.

He looked at the number, it was an unknown number, he just ignored it as he returned to the women on her bed.

His phone kept ringing, whoever it was desperately wanted a hold of him. "What?!" He answered briskly.

"Leon Kennedy?" A female voice from the other side.

"Who's this?" He snapped, he didn't like playing the guessing game.

"This is Jill Valentine Redfield", Valentine? He had heard of her. She was in the BSAA, and also Redfield wife.

"Is everything okay?", of course it wasn't. Why else would she be calling?

"It's Claire..." he felt his word shatter before Jill had even finished her sentence, something was wrong with Claire. "She's been taken Leon".


	5. 5

**Leon **

A week had passed since Jill's phone call, he had reluctantly agreed to wait before meeting her. Jill said they needed more information before knowing where to start. Leon understood, but was becoming increasingly inpatient. He sat inside the tiny pizza diner, it was almost empty apart from a few truckers who had stopped along the way for something to eat, before heading back to their miserable jobs.

He sighed looking at his watch, she was late. After waiting for another twenty minutes a brunette walked in. She was tall and stressed looking, in all honestly she looked like shit. "Sorry I'm late Kennedy", she said sitting down across from him. She looked beyond tired, the stress of Claire missing was starting to show.

Leon awkwardly sipped on his glass of water, "Sorry, do you want anything?" He offered, Jill shook her head.

"No it's fine, but thank you. Look Leon I phoned you because I didn't know who else to call...I can't ask this of Barry cause of his age and his family is finally getting back to normal. And Sherry... well Sherry isn't coping too well either...and"

"I'll help anyway I can, that was never a question. But why isn't her brother or boyfriend here as well?" He asked cutting her off.

Jill sighed before answering, "Truthfully... I also asked you because I'm being selfish. I love Claire like a sister, I really do, but me and Chris's second child is due in a few months" Leon glanced at her stomach, she didn't look pregnant. "And I can't have him dying on me. I'm assuming you heard what he was like when he thought I'd died?"

Leon nodded, he remembered Claire crying on the phone to him because of how erratic and crazy he acted, he also remembered what he was like when his men died in China. He grimaced at the thought. "What can I do to help? Also, where is piers? I thought he would be here"

Jill almost smirked, yeah he was definitely the man for the job. "Being an agent I assume you have contacts, I need you to get any help that you can. And I'm guessing she never told you who she was seeing then?...I know you two hadn't seen each other in a while, Claire said you only spoke on the phone a few times a year"

Leon was getting annoyed now. Not at Jill, but the thought of Claire keeping something from him bothered Leon more than he would admit. "Tell me what?"

"Piers was who Claire was in a relationship with, when he died..." She said sadly, "it broke Chris and Claire's heart. Neither of them had been right since".

"Jesus", why didn't Claire tell me? "I have been on missions none stop since China, the night you phoned me was the night I arrived back. I-i spoke to Claire once on the phone last year, but she never mentioned it. Him. If I had known... I didn't even know he had died."

Jill looked uncomfortable, she knew he felt guilty but didn't know what to say. "I need to be quick about this, our surrogate has a scan first thing in the morning", well that answers that question.

"How do you know she's still alive?" Leon asked, holding his breath waiting for an answer. He needed to know she still was. He didn't want to believe she was dead, but he knew better than anyone to prepare himself for the worse.

"She's Claire Redfield, she can't be dead".

The answer seemed to satisfy him, Leon cleared his throat. "Tell me everything you can. I'll do everything I can to find her"._ I promise_.


	6. 6

**Claire**

Claire opened her eyes to see nothing but a dull yellow, cement ceiling above her. Pain ripped through her chest as she inhaled, the room smelled heavily of dampness. Claire's head ached when she tried to sit up, it felt like she had been hit by a ton of bricks. Reaching up to rub her forehead she winced when her fingertips touched her hairline, pulling them away quickly to see them covered in blood. What the fuck?

The small window that was the only source of light, had barbed wire covering it. Reaching down she felt the side of a really hard mattress. There was no pillow underneath her head, and no blanket on the sad excuse for a bed.

By nightfall the darkness was drowning. She was surrounded by the cold, suffocating, and it was never ending. Claire was drowning in her own mind, her own fear. She wasn't sure if she was dead or not. Least she hadn't been bitten, right?

She was desperate. Desperate for a sign that her brother, or anyone was coming for her.


	7. 7

**Leon**

Leon tugged at the hood of his jacket, pulling it forward to shield his face from the onslaught of rain that fell from the hazy gray sky. The rural road before him barely glistened as he walked down the center, and the only sound he could hear was his own footfall, the soles of his boots sloshing through the puddles.

All the town's vegetation had finally withered to mush and succumbed to the incessant rain, survivors were left with a bleak choice. Leave or die by starvation. The once bold scenery that was beaming with life had fallen mute, trees were stripped bare, grassy fields melted into swamp lands.

Just four months ago civilization dwindled down to its most basic level, any hope of it being reversed had stopped, and the town's society had fallen to its knees. Nobody could explain it, there wasn't a Richter Scale topping earthquakes that shook the country, there wasn't a tsunami that stood hundreds of feet tall, flooding miles of inland. No, it was nothing like that, nothing natural. The rumor was, it was some sort of science experiment gone wrong. Another raccoon city. They all knew the town would soon disappear.

But Leon didn't care about that, he only cared about one thing. Finding Claire.

_

Days had passed, hours smearing into each other as the blond spent his time looking for her. He'd searched the nearby caves, and crept through the abandoned towns night after night, hoping against hope that he'd find some indication of her. A glimpse, a strand of red hair, even a fiber of ripped clothing would have been something, but nothing had turned up, and he was beginning to lose hope. That scared him the most. He couldn't bear the thought of it.

That night all different scenarios ran through his head. What if he had never become a cop in the first place? What if he called in sick with his hangover instead? He wouldn't have meet Claire, sherry, or even Ada. His life definitely wouldn't be the same, for better or worse. But none of that mattered now.

Instead, he focused on the task at hand, and right now Leon's priority is finding shelter, a place to keep dry throughout the night. Somewhere he could regroup, and plan his next move. Pushing himself forward towards whatever he would find next.


	8. 8

**Claire**

_"it's negative". Claire sighed with relief. She stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, where Piers was waiting on her._

_He raised an eyebrow, "really?"_

_"Yeah". Was all she said before smiling at him awkwardly. What should she say? What did he want her to say? Claire's mind was spinning._

_She had always wanted a baby, but she didn't feel it was the right time. Claire wasn't even sure if she could have a baby with the T-Phobos virus. She could picture of herself holding a baby with her red hair and freckles. But her and Piers hadn't been together long enough for that conversation, had they?_

_Chris was the one that brought Claire up, she loved him for it but children need parents. How would it work if she got sent away for relief aid, or god forbid Piers got hurt in action._

_"Claire? The phone?" He said softly._

_She blinked at him lost in her own thoughts. She looked up to see Piers holding her phone._

_"Uh, Sorry thanks", she said taking it from his hand._

_Piers watched as his redhead lover paced back and forward in the room, he was surprised her feet hadn't caught fire yet. He didn't know what to say, he didn't want to upset her or offended her by saying he was secretly pleased she wasn't pregnant._

_He would be the luckiest son of a bitch in the world if Claire Redfield was the mother of his children, but it wasn't the right time. Piers couldn't be in the B.S.A.A. and a father at the same time, that part of his life would need to wait._

_He noticed the sudden smile that spreed across Claire's face, he was curious at what could be causing it._

_"Piers, how do you feel about getting a dog?" She grinned over her shoulder. _

_

For the first couple of weeks in 'limbo' Claire was too angry to think straight. After a while she started to miss the simple things. Like the sun on her face, or the way it smelled after it rained.

Mostly, she was missing her freedom, seeing her friends and family. Chris..she was desperate to see him again. The room was small, and smelled of dampness. Every day she is woken in the same way – a alarm would go off, the ringing was so loud it was cause migraines.

Claire had never once seen anyone. The only reason she knew someone was definitely watching, was the small tray of food that was shoved under the door twice a day. And the voice that sometimes came from a speaker hanging from the ceiling.

During raccoon city she had Leon and Sherry to get her through it, even on Sushestvovanie island she had Moria to fight for. Now she was fighting for herself all on her own and it was scary.

Usually by this time something would have happened. Nobody had tried to kill her, nothing had tried to bite or eat her. Nothing happening was making her more nervous. But wasn't that the plan? Throw her off guard?

Long as she stayed calm and kept her wits about her she would hopefully get out of this alive.


	9. 9

**Leon**

Zombies, walkers, biters, roamers, whatever you called them. That was what they had to run from. He was a fresh-faced rookie when the virus wiped out the majority of raccoon city leaving only a few survivors.

With all the bad that had happened, Leon had managed to find a family. He couldn't put into words how much he cared about Claire and sherry, he would do anything for them. He would risk his lifetime and time again for them. Leon knew the feeling was mutual, and his favorite redhead would never give up on someone she loved. Which was why his frustration was beginning to boil over. He couldn't find her.

_She opened her door and took a deep breath when she saw the state of him._

_  
"I woke you. Did I wake you?" Leon pushed past her as Claire shook her head._

_"No," she half smiled at the floor, standing there in her blue satin pajamas._

_"Why not, it's two in the morning?"_

_"Are you drunk, Kennedy?" she stared at him with wide blue eyes. He reeked of alcohol but still looks incredible in his day old suit and tie._

_"I... I...was until ten minutes ago, yeah." He lied. Turning he wobbled a bit, sitting on the armrest of her sofa, hoping she didn't notice his lack of gross motor skills. She did. Of course, she did, Claire noticed everything._

_" Leon," she approached him, one finger extended up to his face. "Follow my finger."_

_He didn't even try._

_"Why did you come here?" Claire asked, running one hand through the right side of his hair. She always hated seeing him this way. Leon was one of the bravest men she knew, but he also struggled the most with his emotions._

_"I...I... don't want to be alone."_

_"Well. Alright then," she nodded and bit her lip. Claire was hesitant, the situation she was entering was a gray one, and she never knew how to navigate. Claire stared at him for a minute, waiting for him to say something, do something...anything... Leon just continues to stare at the floor. He was about to pass out._

_"C'mon," she huffed, pulling an arm over her shoulders and gently guiding him to stand and walk into her bedroom. She decides it would be better for him to sleep in her bed, so he would fall off the couch again. She honestly didn't think anything of it._

_Leon kicked off his shoes, unabashedly began unzipping his pants as Claire gulped and turned away. He striped to his t shirt and boxers, his clothing piled in a heap at his feet. He crawled into her bed, snuggling right into the pillows not really looking back at her. Flipping out the light Claire gets into bed, laying on her side with her back to him._

_Claire could hear his heavy breathing, hot air in puffs along the small hairs on her neck. It tickled. But... Good, he's asleep, she thought. And then she felt it. Leon's hand sliding around her waist as he pulled her closer, he kissed the back of her hair before falling asleep. _

**Helena**  
"Agent Kennedy" she called as he turned from his chair to see her walking towards him, along with another woman. He stood once they reached him. "Leon this is Agent Sylvie Brodeur".

Leon reached out to shake her hand.

"It's about time I finally get to meet the famous Leon Kennedy", she pulled her hand away smiling. She was tall, thin, with dark blonde hair, oversized lips and a thick French accent. She didn't look like an agent they had.

"Hunnigan has filled me in on the situation. I'm willing to help anyway I can".

Leon nodded, "I will need to speak to Chris first". After a few more uncomfortable moments of brief details about where he had already looked, Agent Brodeur excused herself.

"What?" Leon asked.

"I thought nobody else was to be informed. Imagine my surprise when she turned up at my office door"

"Hunnigan wouldn't have brought her in if she wasn't good enough". He said bluntly. At this point Leon didn't care who was brought in to help, he just wanted to find Claire.

Helena just nodded as she left the office Leon was apparently living in, he was either in their harassing anyone and everyone for information, or out looking himself. She made a mental note to ask Ingrid about this new agent, she wanted to know everything about the French agent.

Turning back around she spoke quietly. "Just be careful Leon", she said more to herself than him. She knew how easily he could be manipulated by a pretty face. Sure, it wasn't fair to think of him in that way, but Leon was stressed and vulnerable. But this woman was troubled her, she reminded her of Ada Wong.

_

Funnily enough the agent Helena had warned him about was the one who gave them the information they needed.

The rainy season had started before they found the correct trail. Days passed by, stony silence, the two men avoiding each other for as long as they can humanly stand the silence.

It had been decided Chris and Leon would follow the only lead that they had, while Jill lead a team trying to find out as much information as they could. Moria suggested it would still be best to keep it quite on Claire's kidnapping, with hopes that TerraSave wouldn't become an easy target without her. The plan was simple, however the differences between the captain of the BSAA and government agent began to show almost immediately.

It's Chris who broke their moratorium on speech, he needs Leon's opinion on a tactical decision he'd made to find out where Claire had been taking, which lead to an argument.

When the dust had settled from the meeting, Leon raised his hand and offers Chris a drink of water. "I've been wondering what's wrong with this," he declares. "We will never find her this way. We should find out whose behind this, it would lead us right to her."

"She's soldier herself." Chris eventually replies, then adds with great meaning, "We don't have time for this. My top priority is finding my sister. We can finish putting the other pieces together after we have Claire back safe."

"So is mine. But I am going to call Hannigan soon as we stop next," Leon declares.

"All right," Chris says, the firmness of his voice growing softer. They're in this together, right to the bitter end.


	10. 10

**Claire**

_Her vision wavered for a bit. She saw a man, large and fat, rambling about the same child that didn't exist. She watched him slice his own throat. If there had been anything in her stomach, she would have thrown up. But she was so tired, so weak. She was fading fast. Chris, she needed Chris…_

_Was she still seeing things? Still hallucinating? She watched her longest friend standing in front of her. Leon. Blackness dripping from his eyes. Now she could see the light, bright like the Sun-breaking through the haze of her vision. For the moment, he wasn't looking at her, just darkness. Blackness fell from his blue eyes. Not light and airy but heavy and wet._

_Tears…so many tears._

_

**Claire**  
Claire coughed up blood, and flinched at the familiar red substance that now stained her clothing. She hadn't been bitten. That's all that mattered right now. She was alive, and there was a chance that she could live and never turn into one of those monsters, that ruined so many lives. She could hear the grunts and the slow heavy footsteps behind the other side of the door getting louder and louder.

**Leon **  
Leon was sitting next to her. He looked at her, how she was laying there, covered by a blue blanket. She was still sleeping, her body needed to rest. He wasn't one hundred percent prepared or sure he should be the one to deliver such bad news to Claire.

He buried his face in his hands and suppressed the urge to cry. Yes, he wanted to cry. He felt helpless and somehow responsible for what happened even though he couldn't have known someone wanted to take Claire...but...after all these years he couldn't help but feel guilty.

With a sigh Leon stood up and went to the window, trying to distract himself but that obviously didn't work at all. Just as he decided that some fresh air - even for at least five minutes outside - would make him clear his head, he heard a scratchy voice behind him.

"Fuck"

"Hey, Red." Leon couldn't help but sigh at the relief of hearing her voice. He stepped to her bed, placing his hand on her arm that wasn't bandaged and sat down on the chair again. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've had my skull cracked open", she answered and made a painful face. "The last time I had a headache like this was in my teens... and I had just tried weed"

Leon froze. How could he tell her now?

"Could you ... could you pass me a glass of water please?", she asked quietly, and he could hear that she was still waking up. She wasn't ready yet for any serious information.

He filled the glass with water and wanted to give it to her but as he turned around, he saw her facial expression which scared him somehow. Still holding the glass of water in his hand, he just looked at her, trying to figure out what her face seemed to think, seemed to say.

"Claire-?"

"Uh, maybe I'm just ... well, I ... ", she tried to sit up a little but failed helplessly.

"Leon, why can't I move my legs?"

He didn't know how to start. That was not how he wanted to tell her about her injuries. Deep down he actually wished Claire would get to know it from someone else. He wished the doctor would tell it to her.

"Leon??", she kept asking, the fear in her voice was clear to hear, but he absolutely didn't know how to start.

"When we found you...you had been hit on the head multiple times, and your left arm broken and...", he stopped. He didn't want to put the rest into words, and so he just looked down.

"And what? My head and my arm have nothing to do with my..."

Her voice broke as well. Tears were filling her eyes, and she tried to stay calm. She tried - but failed. Her breath got faster, and she kept staring at the agent, silently begging for an answer.

"... they injected you with something...", was all he was able to say and looked up to her again.

Claire gasped and nodded. She tried to handle it as a fact even though she didn't really know the facts. Covering her mouth with her hand, she suppressed the tears and looked to the window. As if the world outside would give her the answers she needed.

Just At this moment, somebody knocked at the door and a woman - probably in her fifties - entered the room. Leon recognized her as the doctor he spoke to a few hours ago.

"Ah, Miss Redfield. How good to see you awake", she said with a friendly smile and stayed standing next to the bed.

Seeing Claire's terrified face, she looked from her to young blond man who nodded a little, and she understood.

"Well, Miss Redfield", the doctor started again, "I have good and bad news. I assume you already heard all the bad ones..."

"I can't move my legs" Claire whispered, as tears made its way down her face.

"Yes, I'm sure you would like to get all the details", she said calmly, trying to focus on her job and got another nod from Leon.

"We will talk about everything, but for now I don't want you to be scared. The good news are that you will be able to walk again. Of course, I can't promise you it will be smooth."

Hearing this - hearing that there was hope - made a final tear find it's way out of Claire's eyes and down her cheek. She wiped it away but Leon already saw it. While the doctor sat down on the chair next to Claire's bed, explaining what happened, Leon didn't listen at all.

He didn't understand a word and his thoughts were miles away. All he was thinking about was, how Claire didn't even know the half of it.

Leon went into the hallway to give Claire some privacy with the doctor. He was glad she knew some of it now, he also felt relief as well knowing she would walk again. He was shaken from his thoughts when he turned to face an extremely pissed off Chris.

"Kennedy!"


End file.
